purity
/ˈpjʊərəti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpjʊrəti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpyu̇r-ə-tē/ (ame, mw)
purity — noun
1. the state of a substance being free from other materials that have been added or
the state of a substance being free from other materials that have been added or mixed into it, especially when its quality or value is being judged.
The lab confirmed the purity of the gold before the jeweller bought it.
purity of a substance before sale
Engineers tested the oxygen's purity after changing the hospital tank.
test the purity of a stored substance
A drop of tap water can lower the purity of the chemical sample.
The factory rejects milk powder if its purity falls below the legal limit.
- concentration
used when the focus is how much of one substance is present in a mixture
- fineness
used especially for precious metals to show how much pure metal they contain
- impurity
an unwanted substance mixed into something else
- contamination
stress on pollution by something harmful or dirty
用法筆記
Often follows 'of' plus the substance being measured. This sense is common in science, food, and trade when people compare quality by how little extra material is mixed in.
常見錯誤
2. the smooth and exact quality of a voice, note, or other sound when it is clear a
the smooth and exact quality of a voice, note, or other sound when it is clear and has nothing rough or out of tune in it.
The violinist's purity of tone held the hall completely still.
purity of tone
Even in the high notes, Sayaka's voice kept its purity.
keep purity in the high notes
The old recording lacks the purity you hear in the live concert.
Anjali's flute had a purity that rose above the noisy crowd.
- harshness
a rough, unpleasant quality in the sound
- distortion
a change that makes the sound less accurate or clean
用法筆記
Used mostly for music, singing, and carefully controlled sounds. It often appears in phrases like 'purity of tone' or 'purity of voice', where the focus is on the sound staying clean and accurate.
3. the condition of food, water, air, or another thing being clean and safe because
the condition of food, water, air, or another thing being clean and safe because it contains no harmful substance.
Residents marched to demand the purity of the town's drinking water.
purity of drinking water
The charity checks the purity of baby milk in refugee camps.
check the purity of food
After the fire, inspectors doubted the purity of the air indoors.
Parents worry about the purity of fruit sold beside the highway.
- cleanliness
more everyday and general; purity stresses the absence of harmful matter
- safety
focuses on risk to health, not on the physical state itself
- pollution
damage caused by harmful substances in the environment
- contamination
mixing with something harmful, dirty, or unsafe
用法筆記
This sense focuses on health and safety rather than on exact chemical measurement. It is especially common with water, air, food, and medicines that people may consume or breathe in.
4. moral cleanness, or a person's not having had sex, especially in religious or tr
moral cleanness, or a person's not having had sex, especially in religious or traditional contexts.
The novel treats purity as a virtue that society forces on girls.
purity as a moral virtue
Some families still link purity with obedience before marriage.
purity before marriage
The monk spoke about purity of mind before the morning prayer.
After years abroad, Esteban no longer saw purity as sexual innocence.
- corruption
moral damage or decay in a person or system
- immorality
behaviour seen as wrong by moral standards
用法筆記
Often used in moral, religious, or traditional discussions. In some contexts it means general moral goodness, while in others it refers more specifically to a person's not having had sex.